Every Aardman Animation Film Ranked from Worst to Best

With the recent release of Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas, here is a complete list of Aardman Animations films, ranked worst to best.

You Are Reading :Every Aardman Animation Film Ranked from Worst to Best

Aardman Animation has released many quality family films, and with their latest addition Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas, here’s a list of the studio’s films ranked from worst to best. Aardman is known for their unique style of stop-motion animation that sets them apart from most other animation houses. Through the power of stop-motion, they have managed to create many unforgettable stories and characters, and have an impressive line-up of great films to show for all their hard work and ingenuity.

Aardman Animation was founded in 1972 by Peter Lord and David Sproxton. While initially wanting to make feature films, the two wound up working on animation shorts in their beginnings. By the late 80s, Aardman had finally broken through the mainstream and garnered a lot of attention from their short film Creature Comforts, which won an Academy Award in 1990. This short was animated by Nick Park, who has been with Aardman for the entirety of its existence as the star animator.

Also in the late 80s, Nick Park introduced what would become his most iconic characters, Wallace and Gromit, with the short A Grand Day Out also nominated for an Oscar the same year as Creature Comforts. After exclusively doing shorts for many years, Aardman entered an alliance with Dreamworks, for which they created their first feature film, Chicken Run. The film was a hit, and since then Aardman has become a major force on the animation front. Here are all of their films, ranked from worst to best.

9. Early Man (2018)

Released in 2018, Early Man is one of Aardman’s more recent efforts, and is a very charming one at that. Set in a fantastical era where dinosaurs and mammoths are roaming among the early days of humankind, the film sports a creative story and cast of likable characters. It may be a bit slight in comparison to some of the studio’s other works, but Early Man still has its place in Aardman’s line-up of impressive animated films.

8. Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon (2019)

Shaun the Sheep’s second feature film outing is a delightful piece of animated fun. Based on the animated series of the same name, Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon follows the titular lovable sheep and his flock of friends as they have an extraterrestrial encounter in their small town. It’s a classic tale in the same vein of films like Steven Spielberg’s E.T. and introduces an adorable new character in Lu-La, the alien who befriends Shaun and the gang. Its hijinks and overall plot may not appear particularly fresh or new, but Farmageddon makes for a wonderful little addition to Aardman’s Shaun the Sheep franchise, even if it doesn’t stand as one of their best.

7. Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas (2021)

Aardman’s latest outing in its Shaun the Sheep franchise is Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas, a splendidly charming Christmas special that is sure to put even the biggest Grinch in a joyful mood. The special follows Shaun and the gang on the hunt for bigger stockings for Christmas, when suddenly young Timmy disappears, and it’s up to the gang to find him. There’s plenty of Christmas joy to go around in this special. It’s the classic Shaun the Sheep formula with that extra seasonal magic added to it for an extra layer of enjoyment. The Flight Before Christmas is a sweet and fun adventure with the flock of Shaun the Sheep characters that are effortlessly entertaining to follow.

6. Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)

Wallace & Gromit’s first-ever feature film delivers everything a fan of these characters could ask for. In the film, Wallace and his pet dog Gromit start a pest control business, and are given the task of stopping a a giant rabbit from eating the town’s crops. The two titular characters make a smooth transition to the big screen with stellar animation and a fun little story to boot. It’s perhaps not Wallace and Gromit’s best outing, but it treats its plucky characters with care, and it’s always fun to follow them on their zany adventures.

5. Chicken Run (2000)

Aardman’s first animated feature still ranks high among some of their finest achievements to date. Chicken Run is a simple but very fun adventure, and tells the story of chickens whose purpose in life seems one-note until a new addition shows the others how they can escape their mundane lives. From there, the chickens begin an urgent escape plan when a chicken-pie making machine is installed. For their first feature, the animation is top-notch, as is the character design. It’s easy to tell apart each character not just from their voice or personality, but from their distinct design. Mel Gibson’s character, Rocky, brings a lot of personality to the film, but the whole cast is terrific.

4. Shaun the Sheep Movie (2015)

Shaun the Sheep’s first foray onto the big screen is a delightful romp. In the film, Shaun and his friends have to journey to the city to get the Farmer back after an attempt to get out of doing work backfires and leaves the farmer trapped in the city with memory loss. It’s a properly antic-heavy adventure for Shaun and company, but it also has a big heart, particularly when it comes to the attachment the sheep have to the Farmer, which hasn’t really been explored too much prior to this film. Shaun the Sheep Movie is a cut above Aardman’s other Shaun the Sheep films, and remains the strongest cinematic outing for these beloved characters to date.

3. The Pirates! Band of Misfits (2012)

Perhaps Aardman’s most underrated film, The Pirates! Band of Misfits is a total charmer. Telling the story of a quirky pirate captain and his misfit crew as they seek to earn the coveted title of “Pirate of the Year,” the film boasts some of Aardman’s finest work in stop-motion animation. Every scene is dripping in detail and personality, never making for a dull moment in its entire runtime. The world Aardman creates is one of pure joy and adventure, and it’s possibly Aardman’s most vibrant to date in terms of its use of color. The film also boasts a terrific cast, led by Paddington 2 star Hugh Grant, and the characters themselves are remarkably likable and memorable.

2. Arthur Christmas (2011)

Despite only coming out ten years ago, Aardman’s Arthur Christmas truly feels like a Christmas classic. It’s such a warm, inviting film with a wonderful message behind it for kids as well as adults. The film tells the story of Arthur, one of the sons of Santa, who must deliver a present to the one child Santa accidentally skipped on Christmas Eve, locking Arthur into a race against time as Christmas Day rapidly approaches. It’s a tender film with stellar animation and a lovable protagonist in Arthur, who is voiced by X-Men’s James McAvoy. It’s also Aardman’s only film that uses completely CG animation, but it still has the same spirit and care of their stop-motion work.

1. Flushed Away (2006)

While it may be a controversial pick to some, Flushed Away is Aardman’s best film to date. It’s an endlessly watchable adventure, and has possibly the most creative premise of all of Aardman’s films, and a unique world filled with likable characters and plenty of great details. In Flushed Away, Hugh Jackman voices Roddy, a pampered rodent living a like of luxury in his owner’s home until he’s one day flushed down the toilet by an unwelcome guest—another rat named Sid. This leads Roddy to discovering a world of other rodents living in harmony, where he meets Rita (Kate Winslet), who tries to help Roddy get home as she is pursued by an evil toad (Ian McKellen).

Flushed Away is Aardman’s most ambitious film in terms of its world, crafting a unique hidden society of rodents that vaguely parallels that of London, made up primarily of human garbage. Roddy and Rita make for one of Aardman’s most likable duos and their adventure is packed with laughs and excitement unlike most other films from Aardman Animation, which is why it is their crowning achievement to date.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/aardman-animation-movies-ranked/